Every year, companies lose an average of 5 percent of their revenue to fraud, according to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners – and small businesses, with fewer control systems, are the most vulnerable. The investigation software i-Sight lists a whopping 41 types of employee fraud and theft that fall into six major categories: Asset misappropriation. This is simply the …
Halloween at the Office: More Treats, Less Tricks
We may not be kids anymore, but many of us still love Halloween. And workplace celebrations offer more than a sugar rush and the chance to wear something silly — they can be a simple yet effective way to boost morale. As such a widely celebrated holiday, Halloween is unlikely to raise issues of discrimination or offense, so it’s a …
Free Speech: Is It Really Free at the Office?
We Americans love to tout our First Amendment rights, particularly the freedom to express our opinions. But do those freedoms apply around the water cooler? Sure, federal law prohibits employers from firing people over things like gender, race or religion. And union members may be shielded by contracts that say terminations must be performance-based. But once the scope broadens, many …
Preparing for Emergencies: Part 3 – Training
So you’ve checked all the boxes — you’ve brainstormed possible emergencies, sought input, come up with a thorough emergency plan, and made sure to account for employees that may need extra help. Are you all set? Not quite. Making an emergency plan work means taking the plan from paper to real life. That means training — and practice. Employees should …
Preparing for Emergencies: Part 2 – Assisting People with Disabilities
We discussed the importance of thinking through potential emergencies and coming up with a plan to handle them, but an effective plan also must account for the needs of employees with various types of disabilities. During the planning process, there are opportunities for clear and acceptable communication between employees and employers, and usually people with disabilities will be best able …
Preparing for Emergencies: Part 1 – The Plan
The recent hurricanes that have ravaged coastal parts of the United States can prompt introspection here in the central part of the country, where that particular situation is unlikely, but businesses may want to take a serious look at how they would face the unexpected. The best protection for businesses is to establish an emergency plan in advance so employees …
Cell Phones in your Workplace
More than 80 percent of workers keep a smartphone in their view throughout the workday – and our collective phone addiction costs employers two or more hours each day, according to a CareerBuilder survey. More than half of employers said phones and texting were the No. 1 distraction for their employees, beating smoke breaks and socializing. That’s vexing, to be …
Nagging Questions: Religion in the Workplace
Next week is a sacred time for the country’s two largest religions. More than 231 million Americans will commemorate Passover or Easter. That’s more than 100 million employees, and more than 100 million opportunities for manager missteps. It’s imperative to understand how to address religion in a respectful, compliant way. Sensitivities can exist even with day-to-day issues like PTO and …
Listening – A Social Experiment
Recently, People People placed ads for numerous C-Level positions. These included the roles of COO, CFO, CMO, VP of Sales and VP of HR. We were way upfront with what we were doing, and left some very simple instructions for candidates to follow, namely: We were clear that we were relationship builders, and that in response to several upcoming C …
Thinking about getting your people programs whipped into shape in 2017?
We are so excited for 2017- with name changes and all of 2016 behind us, we’re giving back to the community by offering discounts on our most popular people programs between now and the end of the year. People Toolkit This gives you everything you need to start your people programs with a custom written and legally reviewed employee handbook, …